One of the first bands to be signed to 4AD, Modern English began very much in the vein of groups like Joy Division and Wire, favoring simple chord progressions with interesting textures. They also were the one of the first, if not the first, band to approach Ivo and Peter with a demo and were in consideration for signing to Beggars until 4AD was established. Their first proper single, not counting '79's self-released "Drowning Man" is "Swans on Glass"(released in May 1980) which is a fairly good textural post-punk song. It features icy guitars, throbbing bass and tribal drums, and has a very effective build up to the guitar driven chorus. The keyboards here, while not overly complex, help maintain the atmosphere and are fitting addition.
The B-side is a sub par track called "Incident" which is about an old man being killed by some nameless thug. Lyrically it's presented in a way to suggest disdain for the needless violence of the late 70's of some youth culture, but it comes off a sort of silly. The music isn't particularly interesting sounding like a less-inspired version of the a-side.
No comments:
Post a Comment